with
Kalen Wilfred Lonneberg Marquis
I am a reader, writer and thinker who scribbles long, reflective notes in the margins. What may be found here will be revised over time as I challenge and synthesize previous expressions of thought, feeling, intuition and experience. It is a playful privilege born of wide margins and yet the necessity of living an 'examined' life. In the words of Michelangelo, "It is only well with me when I have a chisel in my hands."
After three decades of service as a teacher, librarian and therapist in public and private practice, I am semi-retired, seeking new opportunities, while living this 'liminal life' in greater alignment with my soul's purpose and inner vision. I am also the wordsmith and editor for Wide Margins Museletter with the hope that it will evolve and grow with interest and support from families, parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians and counsellors--anyone and everyone who likes to create and connect with love, empathy and encouragement. In this regard, I will always be a word traveller.
I am in the company of inspired and soulful models, mentors, and companions who demonstrate that it is not 'what' we do, but 'how' we do it that creates deeper meaning. As a 'meaning-maker,' creating, connecting and sharing with like-hearted people is essential for a sense of fulfillment in each moment. As I endeavor not to 'rush the river,' I am reminded of the song I often sang with my youngest students: "Row, row, row your boat, gently down life's stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream."
After all, it all begins and ends with the sage words of Chief Dan George, "The young and old are closest to life. They love every minute dearly."
They know. As they have always known. The rest of us need only remember. This awareness, coupled with the "noblest pleasure" of the "joy of understanding" as Leonardo da Vinci wrote, is satisfying indeed.
"In order to understand something,
you have to be one with that something."
Thich Nhat Hanh
"No seed ever sees the flower."
Zen proverb
"Loneliness does not come from having
no people around, but from being unable
to communicate the things that seem
important to oneself, or from holding
certain views which others find
inadmissible."
(Carl Gustav Jung)
So here I am, finding solace and creating joy in life with wide margins. I am inspired and affirmed by Carol Shields who seems to have read my heart and soul when she adroitly wrote, "This matters, the remaking of an untenable world through the nib of a pen; it matters so much I can't stop doing it." Or, to paraphrase Joseph Cambell, it is when we see the light at the end of the tunnel, that we have sauntered off the path." So, in a word: Onwards!
'I just wanted to say that I am very happy that we have this chance to work together. You appear to have a very intuitive sense of humanity and your empathy is duly noted."
'Kalen breathes his work. He is one of the most caring, giving, dynamic teachers I have ever met. A diamond in the rough of education."
Wordsmith, Editor & Writing Coach
Kalen Wilfred Lonneberg Marquis
(repurposed teacher, libraran & counsellor)
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